Supporting device for exhibiting golf club

ABSTRACT

A supporting device for exhibiting golf clubs enabling the easy dismounting and storing of the golf clubs from and onto the supporting device for exhibition when users actually dismount the golf clubs from the supporting device for exhibition, hold them by hands, and perform test swing which is formed by improving a supporting device comprising a plurality of hook members for hooking the heads of golf clubs thereto and a connection member connecting the hook members to each other, wherein when the clubs are hooked to the hook members, they are always arranged in a specified direction at all times, and the supporting device for exhibition can be minimized in size and manufactured at low cost. The hook members are so formed that the inlets of guide parts suspending the shafts of the clubs are opened in the front direction so that the clubs can be suspended therefrom from the front direction of the supporting device for exhibition. Also, the connection parts between the heads and the shafts of the clubs can be observed from the front direction and so as to support the heads and the shafts so that, when the clubs are suspended from the hook members, the clubs do not come out of the opening parts of the guide parts.

This is a Divisional Application of application Ser. No. 11/630,690filed Dec. 27, 2006, which is in turn a National Phase Application ofPCT/JP2005/022737 filed Dec. 6, 2005. This application claims thebenefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-039772, filed Jan. 20,2005. The disclosure of the prior applications, are hereby incorporatedby reference herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a golf club display supporting devicefor displaying and exhibiting sporting goods such as golf products.

2. Background Art

Most display fixtures have barely made any improvement for a long periodof time. Some reasons for this are as follows:

-   -   1) Considerable effort has been made for sales increase of goods        by spending much money, while less effort has been made to        improve the golf club display supporting device since little is        known about how the display fixture contributes to sales        increase.    -   2) At times, manufacturers of sporting goods have made goods        display fixtures. In this case, display goods made by the        manufacturer are small in quantity, expensive, and not        frequently made, inevitably.    -   3) In supermarkets or department stores, the salesperson on the        sales floor are able to create good ideas on improvement and        enhancement of the goods display fixtures if he/she could have        time enough to do so.    -   4) No or little development of goods display fixtures to        attractively and effectively display and exhibit sporting goods        has been made since the sporting goods industry was classified        as the manufacturer to manufacture sporting goods and as the        distributor to distribute the goods.

Those negative factors make it difficult for designers to design goodsdisplay fixtures suitable to the effective increase of the sales forsporting goods. Accordingly, an object of the present invention relatesto a golf club display supporting device for displaying and exhibitinggolf clubs, which involves goods display fixture for displaying andexhibiting sporting goods, and to develop a goods display supportingdevice through the search of sales of the goods and checking forproblems relating to the sales. Careful studying of the prior task asthe background task presented the following conclusions.

The applicant of the present patent application proposed a uniquedisplay supporting device for display of golf clubs in Japanese PatentPublication TOKUKOUHEI No. 04-42925. The supporting device includes acombination of a base member made of metal or plastic and a surfaceornamental member made of a resilient material such as synthetic resinor silicone resin. The display supporting device supports the golf clubto be displayed in such a way that the grip of the golf club is insertedinto a hollow member and the club shaft thereof is supported. FIG. 11shows an example of a golf club display supporting device for golf clubdisplay that supports the golf clubs in such a way that the golf clubsare rested on the display supporting device and the club shafts of thegolf clubs are supported at the middle and the heads are placed at thebottom of the structure. This example is a golf club display supportingdevice for supporting iron clubs, too.

Another golf club display supporting device as shown in FIG. 10 is alsoknown. The display supporting device supports the club shaft of the woodgolf club at two points. In the 2-point support method, it is essentialthat the club shaft be supported at two points, which are separated at afixed distance from each other, setting aside the positions of thosepoints. In this case, when the supporting members are separate from eachother as described in the Japanese Patent Publication No. 04-42925, theeffort to adjust those separate members in position and to fix them mustbe done, and further a member to do the work is needed.

In the case where the supporting member is one member as shown in FIG.9, to fix the golf club, the distance between the supporting points mustbe long. In this circumstance, the resulting supporting deviceconsisting of one member has a large size and is expensive, as a naturalconsequence. Further, the display supporting device is moredistinguished than the golf clubs as display goods, and will impair thedecorativeness of the display room.

For wood golf clubs, a mold is manufactured directly from club headitself. A concave part is formed in the mold for receiving the club head(convex part). The golf club display supporting device, formed by usingthe mold, receives the club head of the golf club at the concave part tofirmly support the golf club. This type of golf club display supportingdevice is already utilized in the market as a ready-made fixture.

In the case of supporting the iron clubs for the display, the golf clubdisplay supporting device of the two-point support type as shown inFIGS. 10 and 11 has mainly been used. In FIG. 10, two pieces of holderplanks each having a plurality of concave parts oppositely arranged arefaced apart. Each golf club is bridged between two pieces of the holderplanks in such a way that the club shaft of the golf club is supportedat two points. In FIG. 11, the end of the grip of each golf club isplaced in a convex part, and the club shaft of the golf club issupported by a support member having a plurality of concave parts.

SUMMARY Problems to be Solved

The method of supporting and fixing the club shaft or the grip of eachwood golf club at two points needs a large supporting device. In thissense, it is very costly. The direction of the head of the golf clubdisplayed is uncertain. Accordingly, when the customer picks up the golfclub and returns it to the display supporting device, the club head isoften returned in a different position than originally. Therefore, golfclubs are displayed with their heads being irregular in direction.

Also, for the method of firmly supporting the golf clubs by using themold, in the case that three wood golf clubs are displayed while beingarranged side by side by the golf club display supporting device, themold itself become large in size, as shown in FIG. 9. In an effort tocope with this, if a designer wants to reduce the cost for the partsholding the club heads, additional problems arise in which the golf clubshafts are not displayed in an orderly manner, and the three club shaftsarranged side by side are going in all directions.

Also in the case of iron clubs supported at two points, when the displaymethods as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 are used, the supporting of the ironclubs based on the two-point support is instable, and the club headscannot be stably displayed. Even if the salesperson arranges the golfclubs to face the stamped brand names and the stamped manufacture namestoward customers, after the customers pick them up from the club holderand examines it by practice swinging and detailed inspection, he/shewould not put the golf club back in the desired position in many cases.Accordingly, the salesperson needs to put them back in the rightpositions.

For the reasons stated above, there is a demand for the development ofsuch a golf club display holder that if the customer returns the golfclub back in the original position, the golf club can be displayed in adesirable manner. Ten iron clubs are handled as one set, and it is vitalto display those ten iron clubs as one set. The heads of the iron clubsare different from one another in shape. Therefore, to enhancedecorative quality and display efficiency leading to sales promotion,new ideas must be developed.

Also when the golf clubs are vertically displayed as shown in FIG. 11,the two-point support method is basically used for supporting thoseclubs. Consequently, the golf club support is instable. Different clubshaft lengths of the golf clubs result in different heights of the clubheads. When the golf clubs look as they are in the photograph, noproblem arises. When the club heads are directed in an alternativefashion, the display effects of the golf clubs suffers from lessdecorative qualities and less attractiveness to customers. To cope withthis, the applicant of the present patent application filed a patentapplication, which is now disclosed and numbered as Japanese publishedapplication JP-A 2004-136069, as already referred. In this disclosedtechnology, a member for hooking the club, and a member for connectingand supporting a plurality of members, are separately formed. The hookmember has a structure that is thick enough to form a concave parttherein, and the club head is stably placed, as a convex part, in theconcave part of the hook member. The material used for the hook memberis an elastic material, such as rubber or silicone resin. The connectingmember is made of metal or plastic material. The resulting golf clubdisplay supporting device is not large in size as a whole, and does notspoil the decorative quality of the materials displayed.

For wood golf clubs, it was found that when the club shaft isresiliently held along the club shaft while being in contact with onlyone point, both the face side and the wood face of the wood golf club,which are located on both sides of the club shaft, when the golf club isfirmly held. A golf club display supporting device based on this factfound can stably and firmly support the golf club without increasing thestructure size.

For iron clubs;

-   -   1) The iron clubs are displayed in a way that leaves club heads        facing upward, and arranged in almost equal height, or in        decreasing height in equal interval from one another.    -   2) To do, the club head is hung and supported at points and        surfaces, and along a line connecting two points on the club        shaft for display.    -   3) Brand logo, manufacturer logo, and/or other logos printed on        the club head is fixed at a position to face the customer to        make logos easily visible.    -   4) Golf clubs are arranged at fixed intervals and the club        shafts are substantially parallel to one another.

The present invention aims to improve the golf club display supportingdevice disclosed in JP-A 2004-136069 to be easy to use. Such displaysupporting device is required to satisfy the following conditions:

-   -   1) The golf clubs should be displayed in an easily visible        fashion.    -   2) After a customer picks up a displayed golf club, it is        suggested that the customer return it to the original place.    -   3) It is much easier for the customer himself/herself to put the        golf club back to the original position. Therefore, considering        these three points, the object of the invention is to improve        the conventional golf club display supporting device.

The golf club display supporting device disclosed in JP-A 2004-136069 isimproved in the following points. First, the customer picks up the golfclub from the hooking part and returns it to the original position,he/she has access to the display supporting device through the entranceof the guide part and hangs the club shaft. This entrance is located onthe lateral side when viewed from front in the conventional displaysupporting device. Accordingly, when the customer returns it to theoriginal position, the customer cannot see the opening part of the guidepart from the front. The customer may pick up it from the originalposition by holding the club head of the golf club, but the customerdoes not have contact with the entrance of the guide part when he/shereturns it. Accordingly, the customer finds difficulty to put them back,and so he/she properly returns it back or just does not put it back atall. Especially, for left handed person, the entrance is located on theright side, this makes the customer much harder to put back in originalposition.

Secondly, brand names and manufacturer names are stamped on golf clubhead, and it is important that those are shown in a direction in whichthe customer is easy to see. The joint part of the golf club rangingfrom the club head to the club shaft is a key part of the golf clubsince the golf club manufacture uses its ingenuity for the joint part indesign and appeals its originality. Manufacturer names are marked onsome joint parts. In this respect, the golf club display supportingdevice is provided in which the joint part between the club head and theclub shaft is seen from front.

Third, it is intended to create some means to suggest the customer toput back the golf club in original position, when he/she picks off thegolf club from the display supporting device and returns it to theoriginal position. Another object of the invention is to introduce theway to display golf clubs as small units for each kind of golf club type(such as by each coupling part).

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

To achieve the above points, there is a provided golf club displaysupporting device having hooking parts for hooking the club heads ofgolf clubs and a coupling part for coupling the hooking parts, whereinan entrance of a guide part of the hooking part for hanging the clubshaft of the golf club is opened to the front side, to allow a customerto hang the club shaft of the golf club from the front.

It is important that the club shaft thus hung does not come off throughthe opening part. To do this, the club head is held from up to down bythe hooking part. Further, when the club head of the golf club issupported by the hooking part, for wood golf clubs, a concavity of thehooking part is configured such that the gravity center of the golf clubhung lies on almost the center of the club shaft or the gravity centerwhere the club shaft comes in contact with the guide part for thehanging shaft when viewed from the front. For iron clubs, the facesurface of the club head is received by the three surfaces of contactspots of the hooking part and by a surface containing a V-shape part ora U-shape part, and it is regulated by the guide part for hanging of theclub shaft. In any case, the club grip of the golf club hung will swingin a direction opposite to the entrance of the guide part for hangingthe club shaft thereby to ensure hanging stability.

In short, in the invention, the hooking part is configured such that theclub head do not fall down from the holder to front, when the club headis hung on the hooking part, as well as such that the club grip does notswing toward front and does not come out from hanging position by theshaft going toward the direction contacting with the back wall of theguide part.

An indication such as “out-of-stock” or “RENT” is marked on the surfaceof the hooking part for receiving the club head. The customer can seethe indication when he/she picks off the golf club from the golf clubdisplay supporting device for trial swing. The indication shows thecustomer that the display is not normal, and suggests the place toreturn after the golf club is used.

The golf clubs displayed on a plurality of hooking parts coupled to onecoupling part are grouped into one kind of golf clubs, and this kind ofgolf clubs is displayed on a mini-information plate. For this reason,the guide part for attaching the mini-information plate to the hookingpart is provided adjacent to the guide part for mounting the hookingpart to the coupling part.

Additionally, means to reduce the cost is provided in order to make iteasy for the customer to see the golf club display supporting device,and to utilize the golf club display supporting device.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION

The golf club display supporting device according to the invention issuccessfully improved over the golf club display supporting device filedby the applicant of the present patent application and now numbered asJP-A 2004-136069.

Specifically, the hooking part and the coupling part are separatemembers. Consequently, the golf club display supporting device requiresless space to install. The golf clubs for sale on display aredistinguished, and the easy selection of desired golf clubs by thecustomer is ensured.

The golf club display supporting device of the invention allows thecustomer to hang or pick up from the front side of the golf club displaysupporting device. Consequently, it is easy for the customer to pick upthe golf club and return it to the original place. This advantage isadded to that of JP-A 2004-136069. This feature relieves thesalespersons' labor for goods arrangement. Further, the customer cansee, from front, the joint part between the club head and the club shaftof the golf club, and the club shaft. With this, the customer easilyconfirms the feature of the golf club. This leads to the enhancement ofquality of the golf club display supporting device. This featureencourages the customers to buy and contributes to sales promotion.

When the hung golf club is picked up, an indication such as“out-of-stock” appears, and it suggests the customer return it to theoriginal place. Further, the mini-information plate displays a kind ofdisplayed golf clubs hung in series on the flat bar of the couplingpart, resulting in quality enhancement.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view showing an external appearance of the golf club displaysupporting device for displaying golf clubs, which is an embodiment ofthe present invention, a wood golf club being hung from the golf clubdisplay support.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a photograph of a golf club display supportingdevice of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view showing the details of the hooking part shown in FIG.1.

FIG. 4 is a view showing an external appearance of the golf club displaysupporting device for hanging iron clubs, which is an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 is a view showing an external appearance of the hooking partshown in FIG. 4, the view drawn by trigonometry.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a photograph of the golf club displaysupporting device shown in FIG. 4 on which an iron club is actuallyhung.

FIG. 7 is a view showing an external view of a hooking part of a woodgolf club, which is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a view showing an external view showing a mini-informationplate for explaining an embodiment of the golf club display supportingdevice according to the invention.

FIG. 9 is a view showing an external appearance of a conventional golfclub display supporting device on which a wood golf club is actuallyhung.

FIG. 10 is a view showing a conventional golf club display supportingdevice on which some golf clubs are put.

FIG. 11 is a view showing another conventional golf club displaysupporting device on which iron clubs are displayed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a view showing an external appearance of a golf club displaysupporting device for displaying golf clubs, which is an embodiment ofthe present invention, a wood golf club being hung from the golf clubdisplay supporting device. In the figure, reference numeral 2 designatesa flat bar, and 4 is a fixing part 4. The flat bar and the fixing partcooperatively form coupling part 1. Reference numeral 6 is a hookingpart, 8 is a wood golf club, 10 is a face part of the wood golf club,and 12 is a wood head thereof on which advertisement information isstamped. Reference numeral 14 indicates a club shaft of the wood golfclub, and 16 is a joint part connecting the club head and the clubshaft.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a photograph of a golf club display supportingdevice from which a wood golf club is hung, which is shown in FIG. 1.Reference numerals used in the figure indicate the same portions as inFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view showing the details of a hooking part 6 shown in FIG.1.

In the figure, reference numeral 18 designates a concavity 18 forreceiving a wood head (convex part), and 20 is a guide part forreceiving the club shaft of the wood golf club. 22 and 24 designateguide holes in which the flat bar of the coupling part is inserted forcoupling. The guide hole 22 is coupled to the flat bar being horizontalto the floor surface. The guide hole 24 is coupled to the flat barslanted.

In FIG. 1, one hooking part 6 is coupled to the coupling part 1 forsimplicity and ease of explanation. Multiple hooking parts may becoupled to the coupling part, if necessary. The hooking part 6 is madeof resilient rubber or plastic material. Accordingly, if the guide holes22 and 24 are applied to the coupling part, those are firmly coupled,thereby to form a golf club display supporting device from whichmultiple golf clubs are hung.

The concavity 18 of the hooking part 6, which receives the wood head(convex part), is configured so that when the head (convex part) of eachpredetermined kind of wood golf clubs is hung, the convex part fits intothe concavity and the head is stably placed therein. In a state that thehooking part 6 is attached to the coupling part 1 as shown in FIG. 1, anentrance of the guide part 20 to which the club shaft 14 will enter, isopened to the front side to allow the customer to access and to hang thewood golf club 8 from the hooking part, from the front side.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 3, the openings of the guide holes of thehooking part 6, which are provided for the coupling to the couplingpart, and the opening of the guide part for club shaft hanging operationare oriented in substantially the same directions. As set forth in claim1 of the present invention, the structure on the opening orientation isby way of example. In another example of the structure, another flatbar, which is short in length and similar in shape to the flat bar 2 ofthe coupling part 1 shown in FIG. 1, is mounted to the flat bar 2 by,for example, welding, at an angle of 90°. Also, the hooking part iscoupled to this flat bar. In this example, the openings of the guideholes, which are provided for the coupling to the coupling part, and theopening of the guide part for club shaft hanging operation aresubstantially orthogonal in direction to each other.

In this case, the structure of the coupling part is complicated, and thecost becomes high. To avoid such disadvantages, structures having theopenings oriented in substantially the same directions, which is shownin FIGS. 1 and 2, is most reasonable in manufacture in the light of costand space saving.

The hooking part 6 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 is provided with the concavity18 for receiving the reverse side (convex part) of the wood golf club,to stably hold the hung wood golf club and to prevent the wood golf clubfrom coming off through the opening of the guide part 20 for holding theclub shaft.

The concavity 18 includes a support surface 19 for directly receivingthe wood head (reverse side), a support surface 26 for supporting theface part 10 of the wood golf club 8, and a support surface 29 forsupporting the joint part 16 which couples the wood head 12 with theclub shaft 14 (reverse side of a surface 28 in FIG. 3).

The hooking part 6 is configured in such way that the gravity center ofthe wood golf club lies on an extended line of the club shaft verticallyraised or the club shaft is slightly pressed against the wall of theguide part 20, which is opposite to wall thereof defining the opening ofthe guide part.

With this structure of the hooking part 6, to hang the wood golf club 8on the hooking part 6, the customer places the golf club head upward,holds and moves the club shaft 14 toward the opening of the guide part20 from the front side, puts the club shaft 14 in the guide part 20,makes sure the club shaft 14 is in the guide part 20, and then gentlydrop down the wood golf club 8. In this way, the wood golf club 8 ishung on the hooking part 6 of the golf club display supporting device.

At this time, the reverse side (convex part) of the wood head 12 of thewood golf club 8 is supported by the support surface 19 of the hookingpart 6, and the entire wood head 12 is hung while being supported by thesupport surface 19, a support surface 26 and a support surface 29.

The joint part 16 connecting the wood head 12 of the wood golf club 8 tothe club shaft 14 is seen from the front, and the characteristics of thewood golf club 8 can be seen easily and instantly.

The wood head 12 is hung in a state that it is placed firmly within theconcavity 18 of the hooking part 6. The gravity center of the wood golfclub 8 hung lies substantially on the club shaft 14. However, the clubshaft 14 is guided toward the back wall of the guide part 20 of thehooking part 6. The wood golf club 8, which have been hung on thehooking part 6, is stably hung.

In the case of FIGS. 1 and 2, the flat bar 2 of the coupling part 1 isoriented parallel to the floor surface. Some display locations requirethe following display of golf clubs. The fore end of the flat bar 2 isslanted toward the floor, and multiple golf clubs are displayed atmultiple levels of height from low to high level, in order to providebetter visual presentation of golf clubs. The height level of the golfclub stepwise increases from the fore end of the flat bar to therearmost end thereof. Specifically, a golf club that is hung at the foreend position of the flat bar is located at the lowest height level, andanother golf club that is hung at the rearmost position of the flat baris at the highest height level.

In an actual display, when the golf clubs displayed are of the samekind, there is no problem in using the horizontal type of flat bar toshow the golf clubs in the same height. When the golf clubs displayedvary in types, the slanted type of flat bar is much easier to see eachpiece of golf club and also easy to pick out a desired golf club bymaking undulation.

The hooking part 6 of FIG. 3 is designed such that it is applicable toboth the flat bars 2, which are horizontal and slanted to the floorsurface. This feature successfully provides enhancement of productionefficiency and cost efficiency, and better merchandise management of thehooking parts. The guide hole 22 is provided for the horizontal type offlat bar, and the guide hole 24 is for the slanted type of flat bar.

FIG. 4 is a view showing an external appearance of a golf club displaysupporting device for hanging iron clubs, which is an embodiment of thepresent invention. In the figure, reference numeral 30 stands for a flatbar of a coupling part, and 32 is a hooking part.

FIG. 5 is a view showing an external appearance of the hooking partshown in FIG. 4, the view drawn by a trigonometry. In the figure,reference numerals 34 and 36 are guide parts on which club shafts arehung; 38 is a guide part connecting to the flat bar 30; and 40, 42 and44 are support surfaces for receiving the iron clubs.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a photograph of the golf club displaysupporting device shown in FIG. 4 on which an iron club is actuallyhung. In the figure, reference numeral 46 is an iron club and 48 is aclub shaft. Other reference numerals indicate like portions in FIGS. 4and 5.

As seen from FIGS. 5 and 6, the hooking part 32 is constructed such thatwhen the customer holds the iron club 46 with the club shaft 48 placedat the upper position, and hangs on the guide parts 34 and 36, theentrances of the guide parts 34 and 36 are faced to the front. Usually,the flat bar 30 of the coupling part is oriented to the front.Accordingly, the guide part 38 into which the flat bar is inserted forcoupling, and the guide parts 34 and 36 are opened in the samedirections.

The guide parts 34 and 36 face front, so that the traffic line ofreturning action is short. After the customer picks off the iron club 46from the golf club display supporting device and examines it by practiceswinging and detailed inspection, the customer can easily see theguiding opening during put back action, and all of such matters makevery easy action for customer to put back the golf club in originalposition.

Formerly, the guided opening was located on the right side as viewedfrom the front. Therefore, the customer could not see the opening, andthus it is very inconvenient for the customer to put back the used golfclub in original position. Especially, when the customer is aged orleft-handed, it was very difficulty for the customer to return the usedgolf club to the original position. In this connection, in theinvention, the opening is placed at the front. This feature enables suchpeople to easily put the golf club back to the original position.

When the opening was placed in side, like previously, a message that thecustomer can pick up the golf club himself/herself was not transmittedto customer, and even in case that the message did transmit to customer,the customer could not understand how to pick it off. Thus, in thisinvention, the customer can very easily understand that the customer caneasily pick up the golf club by himself, and can quite easily pick itout or back in original position.

As a result, the customer could pick up the golf club without anyhesitation, and try its swing and inspect the golf club. The customerwill highly probably puts it back to the original position. This leadsto much saving of salesperson's labor to reorganize the displayed golfclubs.

The hooking part 32 includes three support surfaces 40, 42, and 44 forreceiving the club head 47 of the iron club 46, and the three surfacesof the club head which come into contact with the support surfaces whenit is hung are supported by points, lines or surfaces. Particularly,those supporting surfaces 40, 42, and 44 are curved in cross sectionfrom a V-shape to a U-shape and slanted toward the guide parts 34 and36. Accordingly, the iron club, when it is hung, is supported by thesupporting surfaces 40, 42, and 44. Force acts on the iron club and theiron club slides down to the guide part located on the right side asviewed from front, while being regulated. Finally, the club shaft isbrought into contact with the two guide parts 34 and 36 to be heldthereat.

After all, the iron club 46 is hung so that it is supported by threesupport surfaces 40, 42, and 44 at points, along lines, or on surfaces,and the club shaft is regulated at the two points of the guide parts 34and 36. Accordingly, the iron club does not come off from the frontwhere the opening parts of the guide parts 34 and 36 are located.

One complete set of iron clubs consists of ten pieces of iron clubs 1903, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, PW, AW, and SW. The shapes of those clubs and thejoint parts to the club shafts are different from one another. In theinvention, the way of supporting by the support surfaces 40, 42, and 44of the hooking part is based on points, lines, or surfaces. Furthermore,the hanging spaces of the guide parts 34 and 36 are large enough toreceive any kind of iron clubs. As a total function, the iron club isroughly controlled by the guide part 34 for controlling the club shaft,and the support surfaces 40 and 44 for controlling the club headdirection, and the club shaft slides down into the guide part 36 on theslanted support surface 42. As a result, the golf club is vertically andfirmly hung with no worry that the golf club shaft will fall from thefront.

FIG. 7 is a view showing an external view of a hooking part of a woodgolf club, which is coupled to the coupling part 1 shown in FIG. 1,which is an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment,characters are printed on the surface of the coupling part made ofrubber or plastic. A mini-information plate is attached adjacent to theguide part coupled to the coupling part 1.

In FIG. 7, reference numeral 50 is a hooking part; 52 is a displaysurface faced to the front; 54 is a manufacturer name; 56 is a concavityfor receiving the head (convex part) of the wood golf club; 58 is aprinted mark indicating “RENT” printed on the concavity; 60 is a guidepart for receiving the coupling part; and 62 is a guide part forreceiving an insert piece of a mini-information plate.

FIG. 8 is a view showing an external view showing the mini-informationplate for presenting advertisement to be inserted into the guide part 62of the hooking part 50. In the figure, reference numeral 64 is amini-information plate, 66 is an advertisement surface; and 68 is theinsert piece to be inserted into the guide part 62.

The hooking part 50 shown in FIG. 7 posts the name of the golf clubmanufacturer and the brand name of the golf club to make easyunderstanding of displayed item. Also, when the customer picks up thegolf club, the printed mark 58 of “RENT” appears, and by this, thecustomer is guided to put them back naturally in original position afteruse.

It is very important to show information, such as manufacturer's names,brand names, and kinds of the golf clubs, which are displayed on themultiple hooking parts coupled to the coupling part of the golf clubdisplay supporting device. Nevertheless, those are displayed floating,and thus indication by each coupling part was formerly very difficult.The front piece of the hooking parts coupled to the coupling part isconstructed as shown in FIG. 7. The insert piece 68 of themini-information plate 64 shown in FIG. 8 is inserted into the guidepart 62, and the manufacturer name, brand name, kind of golf club, andadditional catch-copies, CM, and the like are displayed on theadvertisement surface 66 of the mini-information plate 64. Such displayhelps the customers for selection of golf clubs by clearly telling thedifference.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The golf club display fixture shown in JP-A 2004-136069” is alreadywidely used in golf shops, for sales promotion purpose, and in displayunits. As introduced above, it is certain that the invention of thepresent patent application will be further enforced and utilized in thegolf club display world. It should be understood that the presentinvention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but theinvention may be changed, modified, and altered within the true spiritof the invention.

1. A golf club display supporting device comprising: at least onehooking part for hooking a head of an iron golf club and hanging theclub shaft of the iron golf club; a coupling part for coupling the atleast one hooking part, wherein the coupling comprises a direction oflongest extension; a front face of the device that is perpendicular tothe direction of longest extension of the coupling part; an entrance ofa guide part for hanging the club shafts is opened to the front face ofthe coupling part to allow a customer to hang the golf club from thefront in one action, wherein a joint part of the iron golf club betweenthe club head and the club shaft is seen from the front face; threecurved surfaces comprising a cross section capable of contacting threesurfaces of the iron golf club and receiving the club shaft by a guidepart for hanging, wherein the cross section of the three surfaces isshaped in a V-shape or a U-shape; and an advertisement display printedon the club head of the iron golf club is faced to the front.